You may have not heard of prehabilitation, but it’s a key way of helping patients prepare for and recover from cancer treatment. The goal of prehabilitation is to prepare a patient physically and mentally for treatment.

A person’s treatment plan and personal needs guide what prehabilitation will look like. However, it often includes exercise, nutrition guidance, and psychological preparation. As Arash Asher, MD, says in this podcast, “The stronger you are going in [for treatment], the stronger you’re going to be coming out.”  

In this podcast, Dr. Asher, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, and An Ngo-Huang, DO, MD Anderson Cancer Center, discuss the ins and outs of prehabilitation and how it can help you.

• What is prehabilitation? [2:00]

• Why has it taken so long to start integrating prehabilitation into cancer care? [5:30]

• Are there any risks that come with prehabilitation? [7:20]

• What kind of health care professional is involved in prehabilitation? [11:30]

• Dr. Ngo-Huang describes her latest research. [14:52]

• What are the next steps to make prehabilitation more integrated in cancer care? [18:17]

This is a prerecorded audio podcast. It can be listened to online or downloaded to your computer. A transcript of this podcast is also available. For more information, visit the Cancer.Net podcast page.